Officers

James is an Assurance Partner in the Mining practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Toronto. He started in the mining team in March 2006 and has worked primarily with mining companies since then, joining the partnership in 2011.

His client work includes audits of a number of Canadian and US public mining companies, which include both large multinational mining companies, where he works with PwC’s global network of mining teams, as well as small junior mining sector companies. James has worked with subsidiary audit teams throughout the world and has visited many of his clients’ global operations.

James joined PwC in 1997 in Birmingham, England, and moved to Toronto in 2000. He holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Economics) from The University of Birmingham, England and is a Chartered Professional Accountant in both England (ICAEW, 2000) and Ontario (CPA CA, 2004).

James became Treasurer of PDAC in January 2018 and has been a member of the Convention Planning Committee since 2016.

Conrad Dix has over 28 years in the minerals industry, beginning with conducting and managing geophysical surveys exploring base metal, precious metals, and diamond projects, globally, before taking on a variety of management positions. In 2011, he became a Senior Project Geologist of Raglan Mine, managing a team of professionals exploring for nickel to discover new, and expand on existing, resources in northern Quebec, with a strong emphasis on health and safety, environmental and social impact. Conrad joined Agnico Eagle Mines Limited in 2019 and currently holds the role of Exploration Manager, Nunavut, managing all aspects of the exploration strategy, focusing on health and safety, environmental management, and sustainability. 

Conrad has been an enthusiastic and proactive volunteer in his roles as Second Vice President and a member of the PDAC board, as Chair of the Health and Safety Committee, member of the Human Resources Development Committee, and the S-IMEW committee. Mr. Dix is a graduate of the University of Windsor (B.Sc. Geology) and is a practicing member of both Professional Geoscientists Ontario (PGO) and Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (NAPEG).

Scott Parsons has more than 15 years of experience in progressively senior exploration roles. Mr. Parsons joined Alamos in 2018 and was appointed Vice President, Exploration in 2020. Prior to joining Alamos, he was Manager of Regional Exploration and Geoscience at TMAC Resources where he was responsible for resource expansion and regional exploration of the Hope Bay Project in Nunavut. Previously, Mr. Parsons served as Vice President, Corporate Development at Northern Superior Resources Inc., and as Exploration Geologist and later Project Geologist, Resource Development & Long-Range Planning at BHP Billiton. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology and a Master of Science in Geology from the University of Western Ontario, and a Master of Business Administration from Athabasca University. Mr. Parsons is a registered Professional Geoscientist in Ontario and Manitoba, and as a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Karen Rees has a B.Sc. Honours Geology degree from the University of Saskatchewan (1984), is a member of Professional Geoscientists Ontario (2002), and has enjoyed a geoscience career spanning more than 30 years in the mineral exploration industry in Canada. She has held roles as Project Geologist, Exploration Manager, Vice-President of Exploration, and Corporate Secretary. Currently, Karen is a consultant to the industry and serves on the boards of three junior exploration companies with mineral exploration projects in Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba. As an enthusiastic volunteer in the industry, Karen is on the Board of Directors of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), is a member of PDAC committees including Executive, Awards, Human Resource Development, and the PDAC Student-Industry Mineral Exploration Workshop (S-IMEW). Prior to being appointed President, Karen was also a member of the Governance and Nominating Committee.

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Lisa McDonald is the Executive Director of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC). Lisa has played a vital role in PDAC’s success for more than 20 years. Prior to being the Executive Director, Lisa served as the association’s Chief Operations Officer (COO) for 10 years where she delivered the strategic goals of the association and oversaw all aspects of operational performance. Lisa is considered one of the key drivers behind the expansion of the annual PDAC Convention in Toronto. As the Convention Director from 2001 to 2008, Lisa was an integral part of growing the event into what is now considered the world’s premier mineral exploration and mining convention, drawing upwards of 30,000 attendees from 135 countries. Lisa is a Past President of the Canadian Association of Exposition Management (the national association for professionals involved in the production, management, and planning of trade and consumer shows, and events), and is a member of the Canadian Society of Association Executives.

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